chicken poop with DE as fertilizer?

[phillyfarmer]

I read on BYC that you can use chicken poop as fertilizer. It has to be put in water and have it set awhile.

My question is can you do this even if you use DE feed grade?

I mean will it still be a good fertilizer even with the DE in it?

I do the deep litter method. I have DE feed grade in the coop sprinkled among the shavings. It helps dry out the poop. But I am thinking maybe I should be collecting it and adding it to my compost pile instead?

If not then I was going to collect the poop in a bucket and use it in late fall in the garden. Have it set there all winter and voila, nice veggies in Spring.

Any thoughts from anyone who has tried this? Or has any info about it?

 

[Sillystunt]

yes, i sprinkle FOOD grade DE all over my plants to keep bugs of them. I use it on the veggies and it's safe !! I put mine in the compost pile all the time~

 

[chickiedoodle]

I have been wondering the same thing because I generally add the bedding to my compost and don't want to kill the good bugs that work there ( I hot compost the first couple weeks and the let it go cold and keep it for a year. )
I would be careful though only letting it sit over winter--chicken poo is HOT and letting it compost a full 9-12 months is usually recommended.

 

[cmom]

I sprinkle DE around my coop and in the poop pit. When I clean it out it all goes into my compost piles.

 

[Tuffoldhen]

When we clean the henhouse during the Fall and Winter we always spread the compost our our vegetable garden area. Then we til it in around early Spring. I use food grade DE and sometimes I've added Stall Dry with DE. Always an abundance of nice crops. I even use it around my flower beds and roses.

 

[phillyfarmer]

The DE I got does not say food grade on it.

BUT there are pictures of animal and it says to add it to their feed.

Are these the same?

I have been wondering the same thing because I generally add the bedding to my compost and don't want to kill the good bugs that work there ( I hot compost the first couple weeks and the let it go cold and keep it for a year. )

Chickendoodle what is cold compost and hot compost?​

 

[chickiedoodle]

Hot compost is turned frequently and gets very hot--steam comes off it in the cold mornings and snow will melt right off the pile in the winter--it gets hot because certain micro-organisms that help with decomposition are living and multiplying and as they do so, they give off heat. Cold compost is not turned much at all, and the organisms that break down the matter are more of the fungus, earthworm, beetle sort. The process is much slower and does not generate much heat. Both have their merits--hot tends to kill more pathogens and weed seeds--cold is much less work (no turning) and tends to introduce LOTS of worms. I like aspects of both, and thus use both.